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Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH52 US $972.41 (~ AUD$920) Delivered from B&H (USA), i5 CPU, 128GB SSD

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Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH52 US $972.41 (~ AUD$920) Delivered from B&H (USA), i5 CPU, 128GB SSDAffiliate
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team teri on 13/02/2012 - 20:12 bhphotovideo.com (419 clicks)
Last edited 14/02/2012 - 08:45
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The specs seem identical to the Australian model UX21E-KX004V which retails for $1329 at Dick Smith (even more at HN, JB).

Product Highlights:
1.60GHz Intel Core i5-2467M Dual-Core
4GB of RAM
128GB Solid State Drive
Intel UMA Graphics
11.6" Widescreen LED-Backlit Display
1366 x 768 Native Resolution
Bang & Olufsen ICEpower Audio
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
2.43 lb

The price is great and none of the cheap Aussie sellers seem to stock the i5 128GB version, i.e. Good Guys only list i3/64GB. I am still hesitating a bit myself though, perhaps other ozBargainers can help me overcome the 2 worries with their comments:
* is B&H as reputable as made out, has anyone ordered from them before?
* has anyone successfully used the ASUS global warranty for products purchased overseas?

Update - got an email reply from B&H: "It ships with a US only warranty. You would need to check with the manufacturer locally to see if they would service it."

Waiting for further clarification from ASUS before I place an order. Sorry if that spoils the deal…

Computing 11.6inch ASUS Computer Laptop Ultrabook

Related Stores

B&H Photo Video
B&H Photo Video

closed Comments

  • hexedhavoc on 13/02/2012 - 20:35

    graphics is a let down :/

    • sol3x on 13/02/2012 - 20:37

      yeah what a shame but i'd say still a good deal.

  • dlakers3peat on 13/02/2012 - 20:41

    Bad reviews by cnet, but a good price none the less.

  • tryonthis on 13/02/2012 - 20:43

    I too would like to know what the global warranty is like. I've had my eye on an ASUS Ultrabook for a while now, but it seems as if people think the price of 1st gen Ultrabooks will significantly decline once 2nd gen's are out in a few months time.

    • Ambiguous on 13/02/2012 - 20:46

      True but thats always the case with tech, second gen ultrabooks will come, then the ivy bridge 3rd gens, then the second gen of ivy bridge models, etc.

      • tryonthis on 13/02/2012 - 20:48

        True, but with the 2nd gen's only being around the corner, it's ideal to keep it in mind. Expect further price drops ;) It'd be a matter of a few months (I hope someone who knows more than me can tell us roughly when).

        • ozhunter on 13/02/2012 - 20:51
          +2

          It's always a matter of a few months.

  • Ambiguous on 13/02/2012 - 20:45

    Haha we had a debate on the global warranty when dse posted their deal for the i5 version ($1180 if I remember correctly), from what I understood the american version comes with a local warranty only…The information on the asus site contradicts that of the vendors.

    • team teri on 13/02/2012 - 20:51
      +3

      I sent a message to B&H asking for confirmation what warranty it comes with. Will update once they reply.

    • cwongtech on 13/02/2012 - 23:52
      +2

      The American version comes with 1-year global warranty, just they get additional ADP (1-year of American Dumbass Protection/Accidental Damage Protection), where as ADP is not offered in Australia (since we don't have an American address we don't qualify for ADP).

  • morpheu on 13/02/2012 - 20:50

    yeah, and to complicate things i noticed some 2 years warranties will only have the first year global and the 2nd local

  • zhou on 13/02/2012 - 20:54

    damn…i just bought a toshi portege

    • Mikinoz on 13/02/2012 - 21:03

      They are pretty reliable though

  • gomertose on 13/02/2012 - 21:48
    +3

    I bought a U36SD over the internet from HK in September last year. Registered the 2 year warranty online. Upgraded the HDD soon after I got it with a Crucial M4 SSD(from B&H) which involved prying the keyboard off. Working fine for a few months. About a month ago it started playing up by just turning off without notice and not being able to turn it on again. Every time I plugged a device into the USB it would turn off. Took it into the local ASUS service centre and they replaced the motherboard without question. Didn't even have to show them my proof of purchase, as I presume they got warranty info off the serial number.

    • team teri on 13/02/2012 - 22:49

      Thanks for sharing your experience. Good to hear that ASUS takes service obligations serious.

  • PlayerOne on 13/02/2012 - 22:51
    +2

    I had a US laptop with global warranty. Had the motherboard replaced once and screen replaced another time.
    Only difference to local warranty was they didn't send a courier to pick up the laptop. Had to send the laptop to the repair centre myself.

    Really happy with warranty service from them. First time i sent it in was because i covered the exhaust fan and overheated the thing. Still fixed it no questions asked.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/02/2012 - 22:53

    Global warranty is a bit of an unknown with Asus and most other manufacturers, and it's hard to really know if you're covered in Australia for something bought overseas until you go to claim on that warranty. Searching for "asus global warranty" on Whirlpool gives a whole bunch of different experiences, where some got warranty coverage and others didn't: http://www.google.com.au/#q=site:forums.whirlpool.net.au+asu…

    Even though the products are nearly identical (probably the only difference being the power plug in the box), technically the product codes for the Australian model (UX21E-KX004V) and the US model (UX21E-DH52) are different, and they might claim that they are unable to service your model in Australia because a model with the exact US product code isn't sold here. Either that, or as some on Whirlpool experienced, they might take months to order parts in for your US model from overseas.

    My guess is that you're probably covered, though.

    • xuqi on 13/02/2012 - 23:26
      +1

      Asus global warranty is actually global.

  • cwongtech on 13/02/2012 - 23:47
    • is B&H as reputable as made out, has anyone ordered from them before?
    • has anyone successfully used the ASUS global warranty for products purchased overseas?

    Yes to both, delivery by UPS (I used the $100 one ages ago though, the $80 wasn't available at the time). U35JC from bhphotovideo, 8 days from payment to your door (assuming you don't delay verification of delivery address).
    Make sure you keep a copy of the invoice/receipt otherwise ASUS repair centers will go by manufacturing date on the laptop rather than the receipt (when they count the 1 year).
    Only downside is you need an adapter but that's like $2.

  • johnd320 on 14/02/2012 - 11:17

    I have bought from B&H in New York City. Highly recommended. An amazing shop to visit and guarded by New York's Finest.

  • ccrap on 14/02/2012 - 13:49

    Anyone spotted a cheap ux31 anywhere?

    • team teri on 14/02/2012 - 16:41
      +1

      Same website as above, only problem: over $1000 you can't import it duty & GST free…

      It's weird, the prices for Acer Ultrabooks are very competitive here, no need for grey imports. But for Asus Zenbooks there is this big gap between US prices and here. I wonder why.

      • cwongtech on 15/02/2012 - 10:17
        +1

        Actually you can, as long as the item itself [not including shipping costs] is worth less than $1000 AUD based on the purchase day's exchange rate, then it'll be duty & GST free.
        Here are my calculations
        http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/821614-REG/ASUS_UX31E_…
        $999.95 + $79.66 [UPS cheapest shipping, prices in USD]
        = $1079.61 [USD]
        1,079.61 USD = 1,009.37 AUD According to xe.com]
        The price is sufficiently low that it does not incur GST, since the AUD VALUE of the item itself is (999.95 USD = 934.967 AUD, XE rates)

        • ccrap on 15/02/2012 - 15:48

          Thanks guys! Cousin is after the i7 UX31 which is over $1K at BHPV and therefore potentially exposed to GST liability. Hmm will need to work out if cheaper than local once that is factored in or if BHPV will mark it as a Gift lol

        • cwongtech on 15/02/2012 - 19:08
          +1

          @ccrap
          Also with the 10% GST (that applies to both the item AND shipping <- money reaper), there's apparently some $50 or so "customs" fee, money reaping :|
          My estimate would be around $1575 with all the fees together.
          http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/821619-REG/ASUS_UX31E_…
          Though I'm waiting for the IvyBridge version (i5, 128gb SSD) to come out (I want more battery life :D )
          Will be maybe 2 or 3 months or even more :|

          The other method is to use PriceUSA, which results in slightly higher shipping (say $150 or so, have to check, been a year and a bit since I used them), longer shipping times (+ one week than buying direct cause their forwarding agent isn't that fast, so say 2 and a half weeks compared to 8 days if you buy direct from bhphotovideo) but they'll mark it down to 70% of the value as "market-value" which will just slip under the $1000 threshold.

        • [Deactivated] on 15/02/2012 - 19:55
          +2

          @cwongtech @ccrap

          Customs calculations are outlined on their website: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp#Calculating

          So for the i7 UX31 from B&H,

          Customs value (Cval) in AUD: $1307.26
          (PAYABLE) Customs duty (5% of Cval): $65.36
          Transport in AUD: $74.11
          VoTI: $1446.73
          (PAYABLE) GST (10% of VoTI): $144.67

          Total price in AUD with duty and GST: $1656.76

        • ccrap on 15/02/2012 - 19:55
          +1

          Oooh brilliant, didn't know the mail forwarders went that extra mile to write down market value, will have to look into this later tonight. Thanks for the tip cwt and thanks swrs for those calculations - looks like importing via BHPV won't be worth it once you factor in GST and duties for the 1k+ units.

        • cwongtech on 15/02/2012 - 22:18
          +1

          @ccrap
          Yeah, the retailers have finally got the message.
          http://www.priceusa.com.au/forum/list.php?7
          That's their forum, the owner used to be on whirlpool back when I got my laptop, they seem to have also changed the pricing structure so probs investigate into that.
          I know it was +one week due to I requested (for $5 at that time) the paperwork to purchase the laptop, and using Amazon Prime, they had a 2-day delivery thing, which the FedEx ship date was 1 week after the 2 day period (i.e. it was 9 days or so from purchase date to leave the US, not including the time for payment to purchase, and a few days for FedEx to deliver)
          I'm not sure if things have changed, but that was how it was for me (just sharing)

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